Biotech/medical – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Dec 17
2019

5 Habits That Will Help Your Brain Stay in Peak Condition

Yes, the simple act of juggling has recently been linked with better brain function. A new study reveals that learning to juggle may cause certain areas of your brain to grow.

The study found that volunteers who participated in a juggling exercise improved white matter in two areas of their brains involved in visual and motor activity.

‘We have demonstrated that there are changes in the white matter of the brain — the bundles of nerve fibres that connect different parts of the brain — as a result of learning an entirely new skill,’ explains Dr Heidi Johansen-Berg of the Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, who led the work.

Dec 16
2019

Eating chilies cuts risk of death from heart attack and stroke, study says

For many years, chili has been hailed for its therapeutic properties, and now researchers have found that eating chili peppers regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn’t.

Dec 16
2019

Sleeping Brain Waves Draw a Healthy Bath for Neurons

An organized tide of brain waves, blood and spinal fluid pulsing through a sleeping brain may flush away neural toxins that cause Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Dec 16
2019

Rapamycin has anti-aging effect on human skin

A small study reveals that rapamycin, a drug with a long history as an immune suppressor, can improve tone and reduce wrinkles and sagging in human skin.

Dec 16
2019

Tracing the origin of a regrown leg

CRISPR provides window into axolotl limb replacement.

Dec 16
2019

Humans’ ‘inner salamander’ capacity could regrow cartilage

With collagen supplements you can regrow cartilage pretty easily. Most supplements work better than medicine when it comes to tissue repair.

Humans have the ability to regrow cartilage, a new study has found.

In a way similar to how salamanders and other creatures can regrow lost limbs, humans have the capacity to repair and regenerate cartilage in their joints, researchers at Duke Health discovered.

“We believe that an understanding of this ‘salamander-like’ regenerative capacity in humans, and the critically missing components of this regulatory circuit, could provide the foundation for new approaches to repair joint tissues and possibly whole human limbs,” said senior author Virginia Byers Kraus, a professor in the departments of medicine, pathology and orthopedic surgery at Duke.

Dec 16
2019

The first U.S. trials in people put CRISPR to the test in 2019

Trials of the gene editor in people began in the United States this year, a first step toward fulfilling the technology’s medical promise.

Dec 16
2019

Modified cancer drug effective against multi-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly the source of deadly infections. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig have now modified an approved cancer drug to develop an active agent against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the source of severe and persistent infections. Some strains are even resistant to multiple antibiotics. There is consequently an urgent need for new drugs effective against MRSA infections.

“The industrial development of new antibiotics is stalling and not keeping pace with the spread of antibiotic resistance. We urgently need innovative approaches to meet the need for new infection therapies that do not lead directly to renewed resistance,” says Prof. Eva Medina, director of the HZI Infection Immunology Research Group.

Dec 16
2019

A Cure for Cancer? How CAR T-Cell Therapy is Revolutionizing Oncology

CAR-T therapy has been hailed as a cure for cancer, but what really is this ‘miraculous technology’ and what can we actually expect from it?

The field of immuno-oncology is booming with billions of euros in investment. The ability to rewire our own immune system to fight cancer has certainly created huge expectations. After the success of the first checkpoint inhibitor drugs on the market, many are turning their attention to CAR-T cell therapy.

There are two CAR-T therapies already on the market. The field is now booming, with over 800 CAR-T clinical trials running. But is this therapy really a cure for cancer, as many seem to believe? Can the technology meet such high expectations? Are side effects a concern? Is it worth the huge price tag? To answer the most burning questions, I talked with some of the leaders in this field to draw an overview of the current state of CAR-T technology.

Dec 16
2019

Three aspirins a week helps you live longer by a fifth, research says

Older people could significantly increase their chances of enjoying a long retirement by taking aspirin regularly, according to new research.

Pensioners who took the drug at least three times a week were almost a fifth more likely to be alive about a decade later than those who did not.

The findings of the study bolster a growing body of evidence about the benefits of aspirin.